Song of Solomon helps us appreciate marriage
l.esson Scripture: Song of
Solomon 2:8-13; 7:10-12; 8:6
7.
Lesson aims: to describe
. the love Solomon and his Shu
lammite bride had for each
other, to recognize the symbol
ism that Jews and Christians
share about God/Jesus and us,
to understand and appreciate the
sacredness of marriage, and to
apply that knowledge to our
relationships today.
Background: The Song of
Solomon, sometimes called the
Song of Songs and the Canticle
of Canticles (lyrics), is a very
controversial book. Its author
ship is credited to King
Solomon, but probably it is a
compilation of poems by vari
ous people. The poems vferej
accompanied with music. Some
; Jews and Christians view it as
only an allegory of God's love
for Israel and/or Jesus' love for
the church. An allegory is a
story in which people, things,
and happenings have symbolic
meanings.
The Bibles that call the book
Mildred,
Peppers
Sunday
School Lesion
a canticle divide it into songs
instead of chapters. There are
13 canticles. Yes, you can see
the symbolism, but don't stop
there. The book contains no the
ological statements or revela
tions. It is romantic love cele
brated by a man and a woman at
its best!
Don't fold the paper; hear
me out. For January and Febru
ary our theme is "Lessons for
Life." Don't we need to address
this issue as well? Our Western
society has created a monster
that's about to swallow us up.
God created humanity and
made us sexual beings. Surely,
we ought to learn the proper
way to handle that!
The book expresses marital
love as ordained by God. This
relationship lays the foundation
for mutual fidelity, which is
worth exploring.
I.esson: The Shulammite
girl opens the book longing for
her bridegroom. She openly
expresses her feelings for him.
He in turn shares his admiration
for her. They delight in each
other, implying that each of
them stands out in the crowd.
The bride (beloved) describes a
pleasant springtime visit (verses
8-13) "that creates a picturesque
l succession - season, blossoms,
singing, figs and vines in
bloom" (The New Jerome Bib
lical Commentary/.
The remainder of the chap
ter records a courtship where he
complains that she is inaccessi
ble. The beloved tells him that it
isn't quite as it seems.
Courtship definitely has its
place!
Chapter 3 registers her trou
bled dream and Solomon's wed
ding procession. In Chapter 4,?
the king proposes and the bride
accepts. She has another dis
tressing dream (Chapter S) and
the bridegroom has left for rea
sons unknown.
In Chapter 6, he returns and
praises his bride. When she
speaks, her words are quite
clear: "I belong to my lover and
his desire is for me." The mar
riage is consummated. She goes
on to say thiitMier love is so
great that she wants to display it
publicly. That, however, is not
acceptable unless it was for a
brother (not incest).
As the book closes the
imagery of the "seal" suggests a
strong bond of love that jeal
ousy and death can't break.
True love, you see, cannot be
extinguished or bought.
Application: God is love,
no doubt about it! With that
being true, how do we express
our love for Him? It's really
about relationships. In the Cre
ation story, didn't He consecrate
sexual activity? I know that
some of you believe it exists
only for procreation. Does the
Bible really say that? Western
society has given sensual love a
bad name. W?'ve made it dirty
and twisted. There are two sets
of rules, one for men and one
for women. God has only one!
At one time, you didn't talk
about it. The sexual revolution
has at least created an environ
ment to discuss the issue, but
we've used that to sell just
about everything and then
some. Love between a man and
a woman has been trivialized,
and now it's simply a fleeting
moment.
If we want our homes,
neighborhoods, states and
nations to be better, we must
start at home - the first commu
nity! We must go back to the old
landmark. A mutually loving
and nurturing relationship
between a husband and wife
must be in place. It's the core,
but it can't be realized without
God! Children leam what they
see!
can we love God with
out understanding what love is?
My head may be in the clouds,
but the evidence is all around.
Nations are suspicious of one
another; divorce is running
wild. It's not about money (it
shouldn't be). The television
(boob tube) should not teach
your children about love. That's
your responsibility!
Community (church), you
also have a role to play. Love
-'instead of politicking; forgive
instead of getting revenge; be
loyal instead of following after
every wind. Once we get the
foundation right, we can make
application in every segment of
our lives. I trust that your valen
tine knows how much you love
him or her!
Church & State
Rev. Barry Lynn to discuss religion and politics at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
SP! C1AI 111 [HE CHRONK I I
The Rev. Barry Lynn, execu
tive director of Americans Unit
ed for the Separation of Church
and State, will present two pro
! grams. The Feb. 2 1 lecture, at 7
; p.m., is titled "Religion and Pol
itics in 2004: An Unholy Mix."
The Feb. 22 sermon at 10:30
a.m. is "And the Church-State
Wall Came Tumbling Down."
Both events will be held at the
Unitarian Universalist Fellow
ship of Winston-Salem. 4055
Robinhood Road, 659-0331.
Lynn has been executive
director of Americans United for
the Separation of ChuYch and
State since 1992. He is co-author
of "The Right to Religious Lib
erty: The Basic ACLU Guide to
Religious Rights." In addition to
his work as an activist and
- lawyer in the civil liberties field.
. he is an ordained minister in the
United Church of Christ, offer
ing him a unique perspective on
church-state issues.
An accomplished speaker
and lecturer, Lynn frequently
appears on national news shows
to offer analysis of First Amend
ment issues. He has appeared on
ABC's "Nightline," CNN's
"Crossfire," CBS's "60 Min
utes," CNN's "Larry King
Live," and the national nightly
news on NBC. CBS and ABC.
He co-hosted a radio show with
Pat Buchanan and currently does
a weekly syndicated radio pro
gram. "Review of the News,"
with Col. Oliver North.
Earl Carter and Shirley
Dockery will be ordained
SPECI AL TO THE CHRONICLE
Earl (Butch) Carter will be
ordained as a deacon at United
Progressive Church and Shirley
Doekery, New Light Baptist
Church, will also be ordained
Feb. 15 at 4 p.m.
The speaker will be Pastor
Sam Hickerson of New Light
Baptist Church.
The host pastor is Rev.
Lewis E. Devlin.
The church is at 1 122 Quin
cy Caldwell Circle (East 12th
Street and Jackson Street).
Church continues weeklong celebration
of church and pastoral anniversary
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The vision is still alive at St.
Matthew Apostolic Temple
Church of Jesus Christ Inc. We
are continuing our weeklong cele
bration of our 23rd church and
pastoral anniversary.
The special guests Feb. 1 2 at 7
p.m. will be Apostle Wallace
Gaither and True Temple Holi
ness Apostolic Church.
The special guests Feb. 1 3 at 7
.p.m. will be Pastor Samuel Cor
nelius and New Jerusalem Baptist
Church.
The special guests Feb. 1 5 at 4
p.m. will be sister church Mt.
Sinai Apostle Church of Christ in
God Bishop James C. Richardson
Jr., Pastor and Presiding Bishop
and Overseer of the ACCG
The church location is 3640
New Walkertown Road. Bishop
Joseph P. Lowery is pastor. Evan
gelist Josephine Lowery is first
lady.
Calendar
from pafte B5
sponsor a Little Miss and Miss
Unique Pageant March "27 at 3
p.m. If you have a daughter 7 to
16 years old who would like to
shine, contact Priscilla at (336)
771-8715.
Other
February services at Hanes
Memorial CME
Hanes Memorial CME
Church, 819 N. Highland Ave.,
will hold the following events:
? Feb. 14? Annual Mission
ary Prayer Breakfast, special
soloist Ralph Meadows. Second
New Bethel Baptist Church, 9
a.m.
? Feb. 22 - Old-Fashion
Gospel Song Fest - local gospel
choirs and gospel soloists. 4 p.m.
? Feb. 29 - Missionary Sun
day, 1 1 a.m.
Piney Grove School
Age Program
The Piney Grove School Age
Program is open and enrolling for
after-school and summer session.
Contact Cassandra Wright or call
the church at 767-4044 for more
information.
Grandparents Bible study
Beginning Jan 8, United Pro
gressive Baptist Church will have
grandparents Bible study at 7 p.m.
each Thursday. The church is at
1 1 22 Quincy Caldwell Circle, at
the comer of East 1 2th Street and
Jackson Avenue. Come and enjoy.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE?
cnnm
Martin Luther King, Jr. Rosa Parks.
Jackie Robinson. What did they really
teach us? That today, we're better than
we ever thought we could be.'BI-LO
honors civil rights heroes past and
present during Black History Month.
Their courage helped us change the way
we look at the world - and ourselves -
for the better. Therejare a lot of ways
you can celebrate Rlaclc History Month.
Just so long as you dq